


The Final Flight

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Third Series [3]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 14:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 17,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15843183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: A doomed ship crashes through the New Thunderian atmosphere. While the ThunderCats try to discover everything they can about the accident, an ancient evil lurks in the shadows of the wreckage. Can the ThunderCats find it and trap it before it's too late?





	1. Chapter 1

Lion-O awoke to the sound of alarm bells ringing throughout the Lair. He quickly lifted himself out of bed and rushed to get dressed.

"I'm coming with you," Cheetara said as she attempted to roll out of bed. He shook his head and gave a slight chuckle despite the urgent situation.

"Not at seven months pregnant you're not. Get ready though in case we need to do something drastic. I'm sure Leo would appreciate his mother during the alarms rather than Snarf," the King smiled and gave her a quick kiss before running out of the door. Cheetara frowned but knew he was right. She was pregnant with their second cub and neither one of them wanted to chance it. Leo had been a miracle in his own right considering it took them three years to conceive him. They'd surprised everyone when Tygra announced that she would be giving birth to another cub just one year after the birth of Leo. As quickly and as carefully as she could, she got dressed and headed to the nursery to check on the almost one year old Prince of Thundera.

Meanwhile, Lion-O and the others piled into the Control Room, wondering what all the hubbub was about. Punthar was at the radio with Panthro seated next to him and they silenced the alarms.

"Satellites have picked up debris entering our atmosphere. We've lost Cameras Three and Four. Large pieces of what I could only assume were part of a ship at one point," Punthar explained.

"Where are they landing?" Ben-Gali asked, knowing that debris never fell in a straight line. While they lost two cameras, planet inhabitants could be in danger as the ship burned up on reentry and arced to the ground.

"Out in the forest surrounding the mountains about a hundred miles from here. I've alerted the Forest Service and all firefighting squads to be at the ready. The Forest Service will radio to us if they need assistance putting out the fires. We'll need to get a team out there to investigate what it was," the puma explained.

"Sounds like a job for myself and a few selected others," Panthro spoke up.

"Agreed. Get a team together and mount up. Take the ThunderTank and the ThunderStrike," Lion-O ordered.

"On it. Lea, Li-en, and Cavan, with me. We'll grab some equipment, grab Snarfer, and ride out," the panther spoke up. The three nodded and quickly followed them out of the Control Room.

"I better prepare the hangar in case a full investigation needs to happen. We'll need to move some equipment around for the pieces," Ben-Gali spoke up.

"Good call. Take the kittens with you," Lion-O said. The tiger nodded and quickly WilyKit and WilyKat followed him out of the room.

"I'll man the rest of Panthro's shift," Lynx-O offered. The main station was easily converted for the blind cat and it wouldn't be a problem for him to do so.

"Good idea. I'll make sure that Tygra and Pumyra have the Med Bay prepped. I highly doubt that there will be survivors but there is probably going to be body parts," Lion-O said.

"Regrettably so old friend," Lynx-O heaved a sigh. The lion clapped a hand on his shoulder and then turned to Punthar.

"Call Mandora. Alert her to the situation. We don't need help at the moment but she might need to run news to the ship's home planet if our signals can't reach," Lion-O told him.

"Yes, sir," the puma turned to the radio and quickly made a video call.


	2. Chapter 2

"Great Jaga's ghost," Tygra said as Lion-O explained the situation they found themselves in. Pumyra shook her head and quickly retrieved the inventory check list that she had just finished the other day.

"Shall I call Third Earth and see if they have more supplies, just in case?" She asked.

"Well if they find anything my guess is that you'll be doing autopsies and not lifesaving work. The Forest Service has their own medical staff but they know that anything not breathing gets shipped to the Lair and anything breathing to the nearest hospital. Still it wouldn't hurt for you to tell them the situation, just in case they get rescue pods landing there," Lion-O said.

"On it," she nodded and quickly headed over to the Med Bay video call center.

"I have to ask – are we becoming some sort of garbage trap?" Tygra wondered.

"I know what you mean. First the Calliope near Third Earth and now this. I'm beginning to wonder myself. It does seem odd that we would get a second ship in such a short span of five years," the lion nodded.

"I can remember your father having us run drills for it back on Thundera but I can't remember actually having to deal with one. Space is a large place, so the chances of a ship which is not orbiting a planet, coming down through the atmosphere on its own via the gravitational pull are pretty rare," the tiger told him.

"Why am I having the feeling that this is not a coincidence?" Lion-O wondered suddenly.

"Probably because there are no such things as coincidences," Tygra said. The lion nodded and then excused himself to make a phone call from the Control Room.

"Say again?" Panthro asked as the ThunderTank rumbled down the access road which led to the forest. The ThunderStrike had to travel above the trees and they were receiving all radio signals just fine. The Tank however was having difficulties given the dense forest.

"The King says to be prepared for anything. He's having sneaking suspicions about this crash," Punthar explained again.

"Roger. Tell him, me too," the panther said before hanging up the receiver. He then had Lea call the ThunderStrike.

"You're going to get there before us but I want you to be careful. I don't want something to happen to you and have to explain it to the twins," the panther relayed. Everyone was just as surprised as Cavan when she gave birth to two tiny twins about a month earlier than they were supposed to come, back about five years ago. That didn't change the ecstatic parents. They took things head on and adored their son, Liam, and daughter Fiona. The adorable pumiligers had everyone gushing and had grown up everyone in the Lair doting on them.

"Understood and appreciated. I'll radio ahead and see if the Forest Service is having any trouble," Li-en told him, knowing he'd get a better signal.

"Good call. Let me know what you hear," Panthro said. With that the call ended and Lea turned to her lover. The two had entered into a relationship almost two years ago. They were as think as thieves and Lion-O still had a hard time reconciling the fact that the half-sister he'd never known he'd had was seeing one of his best friends.

"You really think Lion-O is right? I mean I trust his judgment but I'm not sure how this would be anything more than a ship crashing or space junk."

"I think that if he thinks something is hinky, something is probably hinky. So we best be on our guard," he nodded before pulling the tank to a stop.

"What is it?" She asked.

"You remember this spot?" He wanted to know pointing to a tree that wasn't far away and waggling his eyebrows. They had spent a weekend in the woods, just them and the ThunderTank and more than one revelation was made that weekend along with the upholstery repair when they returned.

"You know I do but why are we stopping? We don't exactly have time for that kind of pit stop," the lioness pointed out. Panthro leaned over and kissed her.

"I just want you to remember in case something should happen to me," it was a sentimental remark and Lea gave him a smile considering he was not one for sentimental moments.

"Well right back at you," Lea smiled before the Tank got underway again.


	3. Chapter 3

Panthro now stood examining the wreckage that the Forest Service had been bringing to one central location and he was frowning the entire time. Lea was helping coordinate the places where things were put while Li-en and Cavan were helping get camp setup as they would be spending the night with the debris. There was no way to cart it all back in the approaching dark to the Lair and Panthro didn't want to cart it back until he could figure out what was nagging him about the entire affair.

"Snarfer, snarfer. There is something about this that is off," the small snarf said as he approached Panthro with some food.

"You are absolutely right. Even the lead investigator from the Forest Service, Captain Duntha, told me that. He said he's never been so creeped out in his life," the panther shook his head and took a seat so he could enjoy his dinner.

"Maybe it would be less creepy if we'd found bodies. Not that I wish that on anybody but nobody launches a ship that could be used for scrap into space to drift and possibly crash somewhere inhabited," Snarfer commented as he started to tuck into his food.

"Agreed. Even the Mutants use everything they can before smelting the rest. Any word from the Lair?" Panthro wondered.

"Lion-O says that Mandora couldn't find anything that should have been flying in our sector. She's not far away and said she'd make a stop when she's completed her current mission," the snarf explained.

"So it gets weirder and weirder," Panthro clenched the spoon in his fist a little tighter. He wished he could figure out what was bothering him but he couldn't put a finger on it.

"Hey babe, you need to come take a look at something," Lea said over the radio. The panther put his food down and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Find something good?" He asked.

"Not sure. I'm with Captain Duntha over by the base of the mountain. Looks like we might need to do some rock climbing in the morning," she replied.

"On my way," the panther told her. Snarfer tossed him a flashlight and the big cat smiled before leaving.

"Boy if it got any darker you'd think we were in a black hole," Lea gave a low whistle as she and the Captain set up some battery operated lights.

"The forest can be a dark place at night but you're right. With no stars or the moon visible, it's pretty freaking dark," Duntha smiled. Lea smirked and they finished setting up the lights just as Panthro's flashlight came into view.

"So what have we got guys?" Panthro asked.

"Well the first piece would appear to be part of the name and her number. It's the second piece that has me for a loop," Duntha explained as he pointed to a cylindrical piece of something that appeared to be completely unharmed. The lynx was an amiable cat, who had spent time in the Thunderian Air Force before Thundera's collapse, and both Panthro and Lea were glad they were working with him.

"I'm right there with him," Lea chimed in.

"Son of a bitch!" Panthro grabbed his radio off of his belt and practically shouted over the radio.

"I need a containment unit here now! Get Lion-O on the radio! We've got a situation!" Lea looked at the Captain who looked at her and they both turned to Panthro with looks of utter confusion on their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're absolutely certain that the markings on the cylindrical object look like the ones in Mumm-Ra's pyramid?" Lion-O asked, internally begging for the answer to be no.

"Certain as I'll ever be. We need Mumm-Rana to check this thing out before we go any further. I've suspended recovery efforts until we're sure that whatever this is hasn't done something to the ship and her crew," Panthro said.

"Damn," the lion swore.

"That's exactly where I went. Almost gave Lea a heart attack when I shouted for a containment unit," the panther explained.

"All right. In the morning, send the recovery teams home. I'll have the Forest Service cordon off the area until the ThunderGuard can give them a break. Meantime, I'll contact Third Earth. Mumm-Rana won't be able to travel so we'll have to go to her but I want a full description of it and maybe some photos before we move it out of the forest," Lion-O told him.

"I'll take some photographs and send them via the ThunderTank to the Lair," Panthro nodded.

"Very good. Stay safe and we'll talk more in the morning," the lion said.

"Roger. Over and out," with that the call ended and the panther headed back to Lea and Captain Duntha, who were guarding the containment unit.

"So what's the word?" Lea asked a few minutes later.

"We're sending all the recovery crews home. Forest Service is to cordon off and guard the wreckage site and the ThunderGuard will be on their way to relieve them in the morning. Lion-O wants pictures sent to the Lair so he can forward them onto Third Earth and see if Mumm-Rana has any ideas before we move the thing," the panther explained.

"Mumm-Rana?" Duntha was confused.

"Back on Third Earth, we met Mumm-Ra who was an ancient sorcerer who needed the Ancient Spirits of Evil to help him regenerate his powers. He had a counterpart, Mumm-Rana, who uses the Ancient Spirits of Goodness in order to regenerate her powers. Mumm-Ra we defeated, which meant that we no longer needed Mumm-Rana. However, she remains sleeping until the day that he resurfaces or that day when evil tries to regain a foothold. She will be able to help us decipher what this thing is and if it's dangerous," Panthro told them.

"Ah I see. The markings are what gave it away then huh?" Lea asked.

"Yes. These markings were all over Mumm-Ra's pyramid and since Mumm-Rana comes from the same ancient time, she can read them," he nodded.

"How ancient we talking?" Duntha wondered.

"Mumm-Ra often said that he was from First Earth. We took that to mean that he had outlived many societies and had been on the planet almost since the conception of the planet. The markings and drawings show an odd race of beings that were part animals and part something else. Although Mumm-Rana has said that the drawings depicted the Gods that were worshipped by what she called "humans". It is said that when they disappeared into the desert sands and left for the reaches of space that Second Earth was born. By the time we landed on Third Earth, which we called it simply because it was the third planet from the nearby sun, the societies that survived where only partially indigenous to the planet. They had landed there and recolonized it hundreds of years prior. Most were peaceful but some were not," Panthro gave them a brief history lesson.

"Ah I see. So when you say "old as dirt", you really mean it," the lynx whistled.

"Yes I do. Now let's get everybody in their tents and get this hunk of whatever it is back to camp. I'll get the photos taken care of and we'll go from there in the a.m.," the panther instructed.

"You got it. I'll make sure to have guards posted along the perimeter. Hopefully morning comes quickly. I'm getting the heebie-jeebies again," Duntha shook his head and made his way back toward the camp with the containment unit in hand.

"He's right. I didn't want to say it in front of him but I feel like we're being watched," Lea admitted.

"Let's just get back to camp. We'll both feel better when there are other cats around," he nodded. They began to move back to camp but Lea couldn't shake the thought of someone or something watching her. Swallowing hard, she grabbed Panthro's hand and gave it a squeeze. The other hand was firmly on the Kamas that Panthro had made for her. She had no idea how right she was. Someone was watching and it would only be in the morning light that the camp would notice something horribly awry.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lord Panthro, I'm not exactly sure how to put this…" Captain Duntha started as stood in front of the panther giving the morning report.

"Well spit it out and we'll go from there," Panthro gave him a look. Knowing the lynx's military history he found it odd that the report he was getting seemed all discombobulated.

"I… uh…"

"Spit it out man!" The panther shook his shoulders.

"Pan…" the nickname made him turn and he saw Lea, crawling on the floor. He immediately let go of Duntha and rushed over to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She tried to talk but instead started foaming at the mouth.

"MEDIC!" He roared. The camp shook to life and cats began running around.

"What have we got sir?" The medic asked as he arrived, kit in hand.

"I don't know. She was foaming at the mouth and crawling on the ground…" the panther had never seen anything like it. The medic got close to the lioness and attempted to find a pulse but what he got instead was a hand around his throat as she pulled herself up off the ground. Panthro saw what was happening and he quickly grabbed the lioness's arm.

"Lea! He's trying to help!" He tried to get her to let go as she started to squeeze the life out of him.

"Help? I don't need your help or anyone else's! I have survived for thousands of years! With this new body I will survive thousands more!" Lea bellowed. Suddenly her body sent an electric charge through the two cats that were touching her, throwing them to the ground.

"Rise up my minion! Summon the strength!" Lea shouted. At this, Duntha was suddenly standing as straight as a board and replied,

"Master!"

"Do your worst while I pay the ThunderCats a visit," Lea ordered, her body began to float above the ground. Duntha smirked and turned his gaze toward a stupefied Panthro as Lea flew off.

"I shall Master, I shall," a roar emitted from the lynx's throat as he charged at the panther. Panthro grabbed his nunchucks and leapt off the ground.

"After her! Don't let her reach the Lair!" Panthro ordered. Li-en and Cavan raced for the ThunderStrike but they were stopped by Forest Service officers, their eyes all aglow.

"Kill them all!" Duntha ordered. The cats lunged for their targets.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Meanwhile, Lion-O was trying to raise Panthro on the radio. He was not having any luck and was growing incredibly nervous. He turned to Ben-Gali who was attempting to reach the ThunderStrike to see if there was something wrong with the radio.

"Nothing. I don't like it," Ben-Gali said. Lion-O was about to answer when the Sword of Omens roared.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight!" He commanded. Quickly, the scene at the crash site unfolded as did a flying Lea.

"We need to lock this place down! The Forest Service is attacking the recovery teams and Lea is somehow flying without a ship," he told him. Ben-Gali smacked the alarm on the keyboard in the Control Room.

"How…" the white tiger did not get to finish his thought.

"Mumm-Ra," Lion-O clenched his fists.


	6. Chapter 6

While chaos reigned on New Thundera, Mumm-Rana was looking over the pictures that Lion-O had sent. Captain Mitsu stood beside her confused at what he saw. Of course when he'd been first given the mission he was confused as well considering he'd thought he'd met everyone on Third Earth. Mumm-Rana had stayed inside her pyramid, never disclosing where it was or if she could be of assistance until the King had called just a short time ago.

"This is not good," the mummy spoke up finally.

"How bad are we talking ma'am?" Mitsu asked.

"Bad enough that I must called on the Ancient Spirits of Goodness and see if they can grant me the power to leave the planet," she said.

"I am sorry but I am confused," the liger admitted. Mumm-Rana nodded and quickly explained who exactly she was and who she was created to defend the planet against.

"I have stayed here too long and now others are suffering the consequences. I must ask you to leave the pyramid. I must convene with the Spirits. Thank you for bringing this to me," she said.

"Yes ma'am and you're welcome," the Captain smiled and then quickly left the pyramid. Mumm-Rana lifted herself off of the seat she had taken and called out to the Spirits.

"Ancient Spirits of Goodness! I call for you to wake from your eternal slumber! Mumm-Ra walks New Thundera!"

"MUMM-RA?" They questioned.

"Our allies the ThunderCats bring proof! He has escaped his prison and I fear it may be too late to save New Thundera!" She held up the pictures. She could feel the Ancient Spirits invading her body to see the pictures.

"WE MUST SUMMON THE POWER TO SEND YOU TO NEW THUNDERA! HOWEVER, THERE IS A PRICE. SUMMONING SUCH POWER ONLY WORKS ONCE. ONCE THE PYRAMID HAS LEFT THE SOIL OF THIRD EARTH, IT WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RETURN. YOU MUST DEFEAT MUMM-RA ONCE AND FOR ALL OR GOOD SHALL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!" The Ancient Spirits told her once they were back inside their statues.

"I understand oh Ancient Ones," she nodded, silently agreeing to the terms. She must defeat Mumm-Ra and send him to a place that he could not be brought back from. It would take everything she had and maybe a little bit more but the only way it could end would be in the death of her opponent which in turn would cause hers.

"GET INTO THE SARCOPHAGUS! OUR JOURNEY BEGINS NOW!" The Spirits commanded. Mumm-Rana did as she was told knowing it would be the last time she saw Third Earth.

Outside the pyramid, Captain Mitsu watched in awe from the safety of his transport vehicle, as the pyramid shone brightly and then vanished. The cat who drove him asked,

"Who was that?"

"An old friend of the King's. Let's get back to the Lair, we have to try and get in touch with New Thundera," the liger said.

"Yes sir," the cat nodded, revved the engine, and sped off toward the Lair. Mitsu only hoped that wherever Mumm-Rana went that she would be helping those she could. He had no idea what she would be getting herself into and he hoped that the Lair on New Thundera would be ready for her.


	7. Chapter 7

Suddenly a bright light shone out over the wreckage site that the Thunderians had been looking into. The light caused the fighting to stop as the evil minions of Mumm-Ra hissed and covered their eyes. Those that were still on their feet quickly attacked; seizing the opportunity to knock out their opponents. The light halted and in its place there stood Mumm-Rana's pyramid.

The sorceress quickly left her sarcophagus and the pyramid, changing into her full true self, as she went. The power of the Ancient Ones coursed through her and she could feel her earthly body trying to contain it.

"Mumm-Rana!" She heard a familiar voice and quickly moved towards it.

"Lord Panthro!" Mumm-Rana exclaimed upon seeing the wounded panther. He was lying on the ground bleeding from what appeared to be a laser blast to his stomach. A medic was trying to stop the bleeding but wasn't having much luck.

"So it's true…" the panther seemed to be fading fast, most of his energy having been spent calling to her. The sorceress said nothing as she knelt down and put her hand over the bandages. She could not heal him but she could produce a spell to slow the bleeding. Doing so quickly, she looked at him and asked,

"What happened here?"

"That canister must have had Mumm-Ra in it. He's inside Lea's body and he tried to have some sort of minions kill us. They inhabited the Cats we were fighting. Can anything be done for them?" Panthro asked.

"Those that can walk should move those afflicted inside my pyramid. Evil cannot enter there. They will be cleansed of their unholy demons and I will destroy them as they try to escape," Mumm-Rana said. Panthro looked at the medic who nodded and started running, sounding the order that the panther would most surely given.

"Who is Lea?" She asked.

"She is a half-sister to Lion-O. We rescued her and others from the Mutants," he explained.

"That is not good," the sorceress shook her head and Panthro gave her a confused look.

"Mumm-Ra will try to gain control of the Sword of Omens. It will work for Lea and with it he will try to destroy Lion-O," she quickly explained.

"It cannot obey an evil command," the panther said.

"While that is true, it does not mean that it could not possess another to do Mumm-Ra's bidding. That was part of the reason that Mumm-Ra wanted the Eye of Thundera. His own powers would be magnified by it and he could force it to do things that it would not ordinarily do. In the body he has taken over, the Sword will have no choice but to obey," Mumm-Rana told him.

"We are doomed. Lion-O would not hurt Lea," Panthro shook his head. He could not believe it. Finally he had found the Cat with whom he was destined to be with and now in one fell swoop, she could be taken away forever. Mumm-Rana could seem to sense the internal conflict he was having and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I will do what I can to save Lea but know that my time here is limited. I must destroy Mumm-Ra in any way possible, including destroying myself. He will do anything to refrain from being cooped up again in any sort of prison. Now rest, my friend, I shall tend to Mumm-Ra's minions," the sorceress said before scooping him into her arms, rising to her full height, and heading toward her pyramid.

"It's best for all of you, if you head inside the pyramid. As they try to escape, they will look to overtake a new body," she explained to the Cats who had gathered. Among them were Li-en and Cavan. Both were wounded but not as severely as Panthro.

"Is Lord Panthro…?" Cavan started.

"I have done what I can but he needs medical assistance. Now, please head inside," Mumm-Rana said, taking her own advice and placing Panthro inside the pyramid. The spell she cast would be very strong inside the walls of her pyramid and it would extend his life for some time but it would ultimately not save him. She then headed back out and ordered everyone to start filing inside. As they crossed the threshold, the minions immediately tried to leave their hosts. Mumm-Rana blasted them with her magic and soon none remained.

"I do not know what awaits me at Cat's Lair. Stay here. The magic of the pyramid will protect you," she told them.

"What about our wounded?" A medic asked. Many of the Cats that had been fighting had nasty wounds that would lead to infection or worse. No one had died yet but it would only be a matter of time if they did not act. It seemed they had no choice but to return with her.

"All right, load them up quickly into your vehicles. Leave anything that is not important behind. You will make it back here when this is all over. Now I must go," she said. Quickly, the cats got moving and the powerful sorceress's feet left the ground. She had to get to Cat's Lair before it was too late.


	8. Chapter 8

"What in the name of Jaga…" Punthar couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the video screen. Despite his disbelief, and what he'd been told by the King earlier, he slammed down the alarm button and announced to the entire Cat's Lair,

"Incoming bogey at ten o'clock! I have confirmation that it is Lea!" The Lair was already at their battle stations and they quickly aimed their defense systems at the lioness.

"It seems I have already worn out my welcome. No matter," Lea smirked as she landed just outside the range of the equipment. She had the advantage of knowing just how far the weapons would reach and how many there were.

"SEND OUT THE WHELP! COME AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD! DON'T BRING ANY OF YOUR PATHETIC FRIENDS EITHER! THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME!" The lioness bellowed so that all could hear. Inside the Lair, Cheetara looked at her husband with worry.

"You can't go out there. Mumm-Ra is using Lea to get to you," she said.

"I can't stay in here. If I don't go out and face the bastard he'll start trying to harm anyone he can get his hands on," Lion-O said.

"I fear he is right. No matter what decision he makes, Mumm-Ra will use it to his advantage," Lynx-O spoke up from his position at the keyboard. Lion-O took Cheetara's hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

"If I fail, protect the children and yourself. New Thundera will need a leader and you must take over for me," he gave her a quick kiss and was gone out of the Control Room. Lynx-O stood from his seat and quickly offered it to the cheetah, who wobbled on her unsteady feet into it.

"Lion-O is resourceful. He will prevail," the lynx tried to reassure her.

"I fear the Mumm-Ra's power is too strong Lynx-O. My sixth sense is trying to tell me something but I don't understand it," she explained. Since giving birth to their first child, the cheetah had noticed her powers had increased. She no longer needed to go into a trance to bring her sixth sense out of hiding. It was a blessing and a curse, considering it now could hit at any moment.

"Jaga will protect him," Lynx-O said. He could almost feel her concern and her confusion. She was definitely more powerful than before and this made the lynx think of something.

"Mumm-Ra has invaded Lea's body – do you think your sixth sense could ferret out where Lea is and perhaps get her to fight her occupation?" He asked.

"It's worth a shot," Cheetara nodded. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the mystical powers around her. Somewhere inside Mumm-Ra had to be the lioness and she knew that if Lea could fight, she would.

"I can't sense anything in here. There's too much noise. I need somewhere quiet to concentrate," the cheetah admitted.

"Come on," Lynx-O offered his arm and he led her out of the Control Room. They headed down the hallway and into the Med Bay. The lynx quickly explained to Pumyra and she quickly escorted them into an empty operating suite. The puma then left them alone so Cheetara could concentrate and went to find Tygra.

Outside, Lion-O walked toward his half-sister. He swallowed hard. He didn't wish to harm Lea but he wasn't sure if he had a choice. Mumm-Ra had to be defeated.

"Finally! Fight me whelp!" Lea sneered and pulled her Kamas from her belt.

"I won't fight Lea. Leave her and fight me Cat to Mummy," Lion-O ordered. To this the laugh that was most definitely Mumm-Ra echoed from Lea's throat.

"I kind of like my new body. Besides what better way to defeat the Lord of the ThunderCats than in a woman's body. Disgrace is sure to follow," Lea smirked and charged at the lion who quickly defended himself with the Sword of Omens which roared, as he pushed her away.

"Is that all you've got?" She asked, wheeling on her heels and facing the King again.

"Hardly," Lion-O gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hurt Lea but it seemed he might not have a choice, as she lunged for him again.

"Hooo!" The lion shouted and energy shot forth from the blade, narrowly missing the lioness. He could feel the Sword of Omens wobble in his hands. It was fighting him.

"Oh now the game is afoot," she said, dropping her Kamas, she turned her wrist and in her opened palm, an energy ball immediately formed.

"Try this on for size!" She shouted as she flung the energy ball at him. Lion-O dove out of the way but was immediately met with a second energy ball in the stomach. He dropped to the pavement and the Sword of Omens left his hand. Seizing the opportunity, Lea commanded,

"Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" To the horror of everyone watching, the Sword picked itself up off of the ground and flew into her hand.

"Now to finish the job," she smirked as she lunged at the lion.


	9. Chapter 9

"Back you unholy demon!" Mumm-Rana shouted, flying straight at the lioness. She released her own energy ball and it struck Lea. The lioness tumbled backwards and it gave the opportunity for Mumm-Rana to land near Lion-O. She didn't have time to check on him though as Lea was back on her feet.

"That hurt," she growled. Her skin was singed and the smell of burnt flesh was in the air.

"That was only a sampling of what I have in store for you. Release the lioness and fight me like the coward you are," Mumm-Rana challenged.

"Why would I do that? I know you won't hurt this body seriously. You want to save the frightened Cat inside. I must congratulate my Mutant friends on what they have done to her. I knew they had it in them. They just needed a push," Lea smirked.

"You bastard!" Lion-O shouted from the ground. He struggled to get up, the wound to his stomach was bleeding and when he managed to get back onto his feet Punthar shouted down to the Med Bay for immediate assistance. The King's internal organs were threatening to spill out over his hands.

"Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" He commanded. The Sword tried to yank itself from Lea's grip. She desperately tried to hold on but the Sword was stronger. It left her hands and shot toward Lion-O. It landed in his unoccupied hand and he collapsed back down to the ground.

"You may have won this round but you will not win the war!" Lea roared. Suddenly she was in the air and flying off into the distance. Mumm-Rana immediately dropped to her knees and looked at Lion-O's wounds. Despite the centuries, she was having a hard time keeping the bile down in her throat.

"Medics are coming right behind me!" Ben-Gali announced as he slid next to the two and quickly assessed the situation.

"Great Jaga ghost…" he murmured.

"My thoughts exactly. Where is Cheetara?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Her sixth sense was acting up. Lynx-O is helping her so she didn't see a thing," the tiger said as Tygra and Pumyra arrived with a stretcher.

"Get him inside. You have more wounded on the way. I was able to help the troops out at the wreck site," Mumm-Rana said.

"I'll get everybody prepped. Thanks for all you've done," Ben-Gali told her.

"Well we're not done yet. Mumm-Ra will be back. He knows he has us in a spot. Although when he finds out I vanquished his demon minions, he will be very angry," she admitted as Tygra and Pumyra rushed Lion-O inside.

"Oh I have no doubt," Ben-Gali nodded. He looked up as he heard the sounds of engines, coming in.

"Looks like our next batch of wounded. Come on in. I think you and Cheetara need to talk," the white tiger said.

"I felt her presence as I drew nearer to the Lair. Her powers have grown," the mummy nodded as they walked back in. Ben-Gali grabbed his radio and quickly told Punthar to get more medics to the incoming ships and he said they radioed in the situation. Panthro was in a bad way and the tiger grimaced.

"Let's get working then," he said.


	10. Chapter 10

"How bad is it?" Cheetara asked as Lynx-O explained the situation. He had avoided telling her the severity and she knew it was because he was trying to protect her despite the fact that she could handle it.

"Tygra is doing the best he can. Not to worry," he deflected again. The cheetah was about to get very upset when Mumm-Rana entered the private waiting room where Pumyra had moved them since they would need the operating suite.

"Queen Cheetara," she bowed her head slightly before clapping a hand on Lynx-O's shoulder, "Lynx-O, it is good to see you both."

"Mumm-Rana," her surprise was evident and she gave Lynx-O a dirty look despite the fact that the lynx couldn't see it.

"Pardon me dear lady but what brings you to New Thundera?" Lynx-O asked.

"It is a long story but the short version is that Mumm-Ra is back and he's taken over Lea's body. I have not met this Lea myself so I need to know all there is to know. Also, we need to see if Cheetara can make contact with her. Lea may be the key to rescuing herself," the mummy explained.

"Yes of course, we'll help all we can. Panthro and Lion-O would be better suited I suppose but it seems that they are both in need of medical assistance," the cheetah smiled slightly as the baby kicked inside her. Fear began to eat at her though. She could be raising this little one without meeting his father, considering the way the Lynx-O was dodging her questions.

"Both are in good hands. I did what I could for them," Mumm-Rana tried to reassure her.

"So Lynx-O tells me. Just because I'm pregnant it does not mean I cannot handle the truth," Cheetara said.

"Agreed. That is why I will start from the beginning of my journey here," Mumm-Rana sat down next to the Queen and explained what happened when she landed on Third Earth.

"Great Jaga…" Cheetara murmured.

"Indeed," the mummy nodded.

"You really think that Cheetara can reach Lea?" Lynx-O wondered.

"I think her enhanced capabilities may be our way in. If Lea can fight Mumm-Ra from the inside, it might be enough to distract him so that I can remove him from her. Once he is out of his host, he'll try to find another but I won't let him," Mumm-Rana told them.

"How will you prevent him? I guess the bigger question is how he managed to escape in the first part?" Cheetara asked.

"The first part is easy. The Ancient Spirits of Goodness have given me the full extent of my powers to do what is necessary at all costs. The second part is a little more troubling and a little more complicated. I will need a team to join me back out at my pyramid. Those pictures that you sent me are only the beginning if I'm right," she explained.

"Oh boy," Lynx-O heaved a sigh.

"Mumm-Ra can't enter my pyramid but he may go back to the crash site. Despite what he thinks, Lea will need food, sleep, and a place to plan," Mumm-Rana said.

"I think before the crash site, we need to send a team to Lea's apartment," Cheetara spoke up.

"She doesn't live here with you?" The mummy was confused.

"She does but she keeps a separate apartment for times when she needs some space. What happened to her has deeply affected her," Cheetara quickly explained the entire situation. Mumm-Rana tightened her lips together.

"Mumm-Ra's comment now makes more sense. Is there anyone I can borrow to take me to the apartment?" She asked.

"Let's see what we can do," Lynx-O said.


	11. Chapter 11

Ben-Gali grabbed a few ThunderGuard soldiers and they loaded up into a transport. Mumm-Rana sat next to the white tiger and viewed the capital city of New Thundera with awe as they moved through the city. Large towering buildings for captains of industry, shopping centers, fuel stations, and food markets dotted with family businesses, homes, and apartments.

"You have built a great city. It is my hope that we can protect it," she said as the transport turned onto the street that Lea's apartment resided on.

"I hope so too. I hope we can save Lea. She's been through so much," the tiger heaved a sigh.

"Cheetara told me. I fear the Mutants finally learned that the way they played dirty wasn't dirty enough," the mummy shook her head.

"Yes well we got the bastards but that doesn't fix what was done to her. In fact not much was helping for a long while. Panthro was the only one who could break through the walls she built and mostly because he'd seen soldiers suffer the night terrors, sudden mood swings, and the blank stares. What they have slowly morphed into more and don't tell Lion-O but they are totally in love," there was a smirk on Ben-Gali's face.

"Yes, I imagine that having one of your best friends dating your sister would be a little awkward," she chuckled with that throaty laugh.

"Oh you have no idea. Especially since she and Cheetara are best friends," Ben laughed as the transport stopped just outside the complex.

"All right, Lea's apartment is on the second floor. I need Bo and Fer to go around the front. Mumm-Rana and I will go around the back. Arta and Taka, man the vehicle, if Lea comes out, you intercept. Leo, I need you up high. Remember we're trying to capture, not kill," Ben-Gali ordered.

"Yes, sir," they nodded. Then most of the group dispersed from the transport, leaving Arta and Taka behind. Leo found a nearby tree and quickly climbed up high, finding a good perch to shoot tranquilizers from his rifle.

"I'm in position. No eyes on the target," Leo radioed in via the ear radios that the tech team had developed.

"Moving into position," Ben-Gali radioed back.

"Something is off," Bo said, his highly tuned senses warned him that this could be a trap.

"I'm with him," Fer agreed as they moved into position near the door of the apartment. It was late afternoon and the apartment building seemed empty. No kids coming home from school. No adults coming home from work.

"I concur," Mumm-Rana nodded and closed her eyes, trying to see if she could pick up on Mumm-Ra or any energy and a frown immediately crossed her face. Without saying a word, she headed away from the apartment and moved down the hallway. Ben-Gali quickly followed her and radioed Bo and Fer to not go into Lea's apartment. They wanted to know what they should do and he told them to check the rest of the building and get everyone out. They confirmed and moved out.

"What do you have?" Ben-Gali whispered to the mummy.

"Nothing good. Mumm-Ra is this way," she said as she descended the stairs down to the first floor. She then hooked an immediate left before stopping n her tracks.

"I know you're in there Mumm-Ra!" She shouted.

"Mumm-Rana, you're not as dumb as I thought. Regrettably, you didn't get here quick enough to save the neighbors," Lea responded.

"They don't have anything to do with your fight with the ThunderCats. Let them go," Mumm-Rana barked.

"That is true but that little wound you gave me made me a little more conspicuous. How is the whelp anyway? It looked like his intestines were trying to make their way out of his abdomen," the two could almost hear the smirk on her face.

"Let them go and I'll tell you," Mumm-Rana said.

"Oh like that is a fair trade," Lea refused.

"Fine, then send out the children, and I'll tell you," the mummy suggested.

"I'll send them out in pieces. I want Lion-O here and then I'll release the hostages," she told them. Mumm-Rana looked at Ben-Gali; the white tiger's eyebrows were raised. How were they going to do that?


	12. Chapter 12

"You know that we can't do that. He's still in surgery. Let those hostages go and we'll handle this like we should have many years ago," Mumm-Rana offered after a few moments while Ben-Gali radioed to the Lair along with Bo and Fer.

"Oh the chance for that passed a long time ago. You should have had tried to get me before I got this brand new body. I could totally take you now," Lea chuckled.

"Then even more reason to fight me and only me. You take me out and then you can have the ThunderCats all to yourself," the female mummy said.

"That's a hard offer to refuse," the lioness agreed.

"All you have to do is let the hostages go. Then we can finish this," Mumm-Rana told her.

"Somehow this seems more like a trap, if I didn't know any better," Lea was still hesitant.

"You know I don't lie," the female mummy said.

"You never could figure that out could you? A shame really. You might have been good at it. All right, here they come," Lea caved. Soon the terrified hostages filed out of the room and Bo and Fer quickly ferried them directly out of the building and Ben-Gali assisted them.

"Ok, now come on out. It's just me and you," Mumm-Rana told the lioness. There was silence and the mummy was confused. Energy crackled at her fingertips but Lea emerged from the room. Her wound was still oozing but the lioness did not show any signs of weakness as she quickly grabbed Mumm-Rana by the throat.

"You weren't expecting me to come out like a kitten did you?" she asked. However, all Mumm-Rana did was smirk. She produced a tranquilizer dart from her pocket and stabbed it into the lioness's arm. Lea roared but given the now mortal body that Mumm-Ra occupied, he could not override the medicine. Her grip on the mummy loosened and Lea fell to the floor.

"Got her?" Ben-Gali asked as he radioed Mumm-Rana.

"I've got her. Leo can come down from the tree. Thank him for his dart," she said.

"Will do. Arta and Bo are coming in to scoop up our lioness," he told her.

"Good idea. Better hurry. I'm not sure how long that tranquilizer will last," Mumm-Rana was concerned.

"There shortly. Vehicle is prepped for transport," Ben-Gali informed her.

"Good," a few seconds later, Arta and Bo arrived, scooped her up and hauled the lioness away.

"We've got ThunderGuard heading our way to help the residents. Doesn't look like anyone got hurt which for Mumm-Ra seems odd," the white tiger said as they all piled back into the transport.

"Perhaps my theory is right. Lea is in there. We need to see if we can get her to force Mumm-Ra out. Once he's out, I can vanquish him without hurting Lea," Mumm-Rana told him as they wound their way down the city streets, heading back to the Lair.

"Lion-O is finally out of surgery but he's got an uphill battle ahead of him," Bo called to the back seats from the driver's seat, having just heard it over the radio.

"Thank Jaga he's out of surgery," Ben-Gali breathed.

"Thank him indeed. Have Cheetara meet us down at the cells. I will need her to act on my theory. The sooner we get Lea and Mumm-Ra separated the better," Mumm-Rana said. The white tiger could tell that she was leaving something out and he wondered what it was but he didn't push it. They would soon find out if they could manage to do as she thought they could.


	13. Chapter 13

"Uhhh," Lion-O mumbled as he came out of the haze of anesthesia.

"I'm here. The surgery was successful but you're going to have quite a bit of pain. I'm going to give you more medicine," Pumyra said.

"Pain I'm used to," he mumbled again.

"I am sorry about that," the puma gave a tight smile as she injected more pain medicine.

"Tara…" he murmured his wife's nickname as he faded in and out of consciousness, the pain was getting to him.

"She's waiting for you. Not to worry. Mumm-Rana managed to capture Lea and she's hoping that Cheetara can help separate the two of them," Pumyra knew it was a lot of information to take in considering the fact he'd just gotten out of surgery but it might help to hear a familiar voice as the anesthesia finally left him. All he did was nod.

Meanwhile, Tygra was looking at the lioness. Her wound was ugly but he knew that he could fix it. He quickly had her put under so he could work on patching her up.

"How are Lion-O and Panthro?" Ben-Gali asked as he was ushered out the surgery suite.

"Both are in recovery. It's going to take a while for them to be back up and about," Doctor Pungali explained. Despite being the medical examiner, Pungali also helped out in major medical emergencies.

"How's Cheetara holding up?" The white tiger wanted to know.

"The Queen is doing well but I'm not sure what Mumm-Rana wants her to do. She's so close to having the cub that it makes me nervous. Too much stress could induce labor. Given her age and the fact that her first birth was a little tricky…" Pungali trailed off.

"We appreciate your concern Doc. That's why Mumm-Rana wants to help Lea with medical professionals nearby both for her and for Cheetara," Ben-Gali tried to reassure him.

"I'd like more information about what she's trying. I would think Tygra and Pumyra would too," the doctor admitted.

"We're all a little bit in the dark. I think it's about time to get some info from our friend," the tiger nodded.

"Answers you will have soon. I should have spoken up sooner. It weighs heavy on my mind," Mumm-Rana told them as she approached.

"What does?" Ben-Gali was confused.

"I need to speak with Lion-O. Ultimately it will be his decision. Is Lea under guard?" Mumm-Rana wanted to know.

"She's under anesthesia and we have guards inside the room," he confirmed.

"Good. Take me to the King," the mummy said. Ben-Gali nodded and led her to the recovery room. Pumyra stood up and gave him a look.

"Lion-O isn't ready yet. He's really having trouble with the anesthesia which isn't surprising considering how many surgeries he's had. It's possible that he's affected by it now," she shrugged.

"I must speak with him. Once Lea is awake the struggle will begin and we cannot delay. Cheetara must draw Lea out so that she can help force Mumm-Ra out. If he cannot be forced out, I will have no choice but to eliminate the threat," Mumm-Rana explained.

"You mean…" Doctor Pungali gave her a look.

"I will have to kill Lea," the mummy explained.


	14. Chapter 14

"You said it was ultimately Lion-O's decision but it doesn't sound like there is one," Pumyra spoke up as she aided Lion-O in adjusting the bed. He couldn't sit up fully but he needed to be upright in case of vomiting.

"The decision of which I speak is regrettable. Either I fight Lea and possibly be forced to kill her or he does. I know he is not in any condition to do much of anything but I need to make sure he's aware of all the details," Mumm-Rana clarified.

"Oh," the puma grimaced.

"There are no other options?" Ben-Gali wanted to know.

"None. I have used all of my power to get here from Third Earth. I was never meant to return to it. The moment Mumm-Ra ceases to exist, I cease to exist. It is quite simple. I have no qualms about dying. It is only that I must do what I can to save the innocent that Mumm-Ra has taken over," she explained.

"How did he do that? I thought when Lion-O banished him from the Book of Omens that he was done," Ben-Gali was confused.

"He ended up on the Astral Plane like Jaga did. The Book of Omens, along with the Sword, are powerful but as powerful as they are they cannot eternally banish Evil. Even I cannot banish it in every form but I am the only one capable of reaching his soul. Before he became completely evil, he was a man of First Earth. Men of this time dealt with many evils – mostly of their own doing – without the help of Ancient Spirits. It is only when the Ancient Spirits were allowed to escape from their tomb that the man that was once Mumm-Ra became the creature you know today. The Ancient Egyptians had cast him out and they figured they had buried the Ancient Spirits as well but their pyramids did not last beyond the cataclysm that would eventually turn First Earth into Second Earth," Mumm-Rana tried to give them the full picture.

"So there was a cataclysm," Pumyra nodded.

"The planet warmed and it caused the oceans to shrink. That is why the deserts are so vast on Third Earth. It is also why the Snowman enjoys his wintry home. Over the course of the millennia the planet's rotation has slowed. Eventually just as all planets do, it will become inhabitable, but that is probably millennia away. This change in the planet allowed Mumm-Ra to escape and terrorize the inhabitants. The Ancient Spirits of Goodness awoke me at the same time so that I could fight his evil, which I did for many centuries before the ThunderCats came along. The reason I did not perish when Lion-O defeated him is because he remained on the Astral Plane. Since he still existed in one form or another, I still exist. Only I can banish him permanently and then I will disappear," she continued.

"So you can reach his soul and destroy it and that is why he could not go to the Astral Plane again?" Doctor Pungali spoke up for the first time.

"His soul is the only thing tethering him to any plane of existence. If I can reach his soul, I can remove it from its evil host. At which point, Mumm-Ra will cease to exist, his eternal soul will head wherever the Gods sent it and I will ascend to the afterlife," the mummy said.

"How'd Mumm-Ra end up on the shipwreck that we found?" Ben-Gali wanted to know.

"Someone from that ship must have summoned him or summoned an evil spirit which they were hoping was their God. When I freed the Forest Service members, the souls of those on board that ship were freed. My guess is that someone was playing with something they did not fully understand. Then once Mumm-Ra was free of the Astral Plane, he took over the ship by inhabiting someone body. When it looked like the ship was heading for a crash, he simply ducked back inside that container you found, sucking the damned souls with him," Mumm-Rana finished.

"Lion-O, did you need anything?" Pumyra asked as she saw him reaching for her.

"Yes. I need Mumm-Rana to get rid of Mumm-Ra. Do what you must. Lea will understand," he said.


	15. Chapter 15

"He actually said that Lea would understand?" Cheetara gave Mumm-Rana a confused look as the mummy explained everything. They were down in the holding cells waiting for Lea to awake from the anesthesia. The lioness was in a cell and the guards had been doubled at the exterior door of the small prison.

"He did but in all fairness I think that was mostly the medication talking. Though I will not get the chance to meet the real Lea, I imagine that just like any ThunderCat, she knows the risks the job entails," the mummy said.

"Point taken," the cheetah nodded. The two were jolted out of their seats by a roar that came from upstairs.

"Oh that's not good," Cheetara murmured.

"What's going on?" Mumm-Rana asked, confused.

"Panthro…" the word did not escape the cheetah's lips but the lips of the now semi-conscious lioness. Lea was correct the panther had just been told what was happening in the basement and Tygra had had no choice but to sedate him. There would be a big discussion after this was all over regarding the decisions made when it came to Lea.

"We must work quickly. Use your Sixth Sense and reach out to her," the mummy urged. Cheetara nodded and closed her eyes so she could focus.

 _"Lea, I know you're in there. You must fight Mumm-Ra."_  She repeated the message a second time when the first got no response. Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra was trying to stand up and was hurling insults at Mumm-Rana and the cheetah, hoping to distract them, at the same time. He could barely move the physical body he was in as the medicine and the surgery had drained the lioness.

 _"How?"_  Finally came the response.

 _"Distract Mumm-Ra. He cannot fight a war on two fronts. Mumm-Rana will be trying to draw him out with her powers,"_ the cheetah explained.

 _"I'm not strong enough,"_  Lea argued.

 _"You are and you can. We all have faith in you,"_  Cheetara said. This seemed to help because the mummy stopped cursing and suddenly seemed to be having an argument with himself as he stood up. Mumm-Rana smirked and began to chant in a language that only she and Mumm-Ra could understand.

"Why you little bitch!" The words left the lioness' lips and her head spun toward Mumm-Rana. The mummy continued to chant and Cheetara tried to reach Lea but she wasn't getting through. Mumm-Ra now turned his entire focus onto Mumm-Rana. Then the cheetah had an idea. She lifted her hand toward the ceiling and shouted,

"Sword of Omens! Come to my Hand!" This made both Mumm-Rana and Mumm-Ra stop dead in their tracks and look at her. She was not next in line for the mantle of Lord of the ThunderCats; certainly it would not answer her.

Suddenly the door to the room slid open and the Sword roared as it landed safely in the cheetah's hand. She grasped it with both hands before commanding,

"Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! ThunderCats Ho!" The Cat shot forth from the Eye of Thundera and Lea's eyes glowed. Mumm-Rana saw her opportunity and began to chant again in the tongue of the ancients. Mumm-Ra's cries could be heard as his soul began to separate from the lioness' body.

"Be gone unholy demon!" Mumm-Rana shouted at the top of her lungs as the soul of the once nearly invincible mummy separated completely from Lea. The lioness collapsed to the ground as Mumm-Rana took hold of the floating wraith by the neck. Cheetara watched as the mummy finished her incantation and then was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

"Lea is that you?" The cheetah asked as the lioness crumpled into a heap on the floor. Certainly not good, considering her recent surgery, but no one was going to enter the cell until they were sure it was the lioness.

"Mother sons of…" the Cat muttered under her breath as she grabbed her stomach.

"I'll take that as a yes. Open the door. We need to get her back up to the Med Bay," Cheetara shouted at the guards, the Sword of Omens, still in her hands.

"Yes my Queen!" The guard on the left of the cell door, Sah, ran outside the room and grabbed the gurney out in the hallway. When he got back however, he discovered the cheetah doubled over and his buddy, Ger, trying to help her as she screamed in pain.

"Get a medic down here quick! I think the young prince or princess is trying to make an early appearance!" Ger shouted.

"Jaga's toothbrush!" Sah ran over to the desk that was down there for prisoner watching purposes and slammed his hand down on the red emergency button. Alarms sounded throughout the facility and anyone who was close by came running.

"What's going on?" Tygra asked as he rushed through the doorway to find personnel trying to help both ladies with their current situations.

"I'm not as bad as Tara is. You have to help her!" Lea shouted at him and the tiger nodded before turning to the cheetah who was now lying on the floor with a medic from the ThunderGuard sitting behind her, holding her up.

"Ok breathe. Lord Tygra is here. He'll know what to do," the medic, a liger by the name of Matseo, said. The tiger gave a wink to the medic and asked,

"What do we have?"

"Severe abdominal pain and it would appear that her water broke. It's too early though and I don't know why the pain isn't more like contractions," he explained.

"All righty, well forgive me Cheetara but I have to take a look," Tygra explained as he pushed her knees up and then covered the opening with a towel before pushing the cheetah's dress up. He didn't like what he saw and immediately put her legs down.

"I need a gurney and we need to get up to the Med Bay on the double. I don't have the equipment I need down here," the tiger said.

"On it," a voice said as a nearby Cat disappeared. They weren't gone very long and then they had a gurney.

"I need help lifting. Matseo, do you have her shoulders?" Tygra asked.

"I do," he nodded.

"I need help with her midsection!" The tiger bellowed as Cheetara let out another horrible scream. Two Cats quickly stepped forward and the four of them quickly lifted her onto the gurney.

"Let's roll!" Tygra ordered and soon they were out into the hallway heading for the Med Bay. Cheetara let loose another scream and grabbed her swollen belly. Tygra tried to reassure her as they entered the elevator. They were soon out of the elevator and rushing into the Med Bay when Pumyra met them.

"We need the dilation medication. The baby is coming but her body isn't preparing itself," Tygra instructed.

"Put her in surgery bay three," the puma ordered. That room also had the ultrasound machine along with the new body scanner that they were still testing out. Quickly they got her in there and the tiger initiated a scan.

"Here's the medication!" Pumyra handed Tygra the injector and he shoved the end of the unit onto the cheetah's arm and injected the medicine.

"Pray to the Gods this works. I don't want to have to cut her open" the tiger said.


	17. Chapter 17

"Where is Tara?!" Lion-O bellowed from his bed as nurses and aides rushed in to restrain him.

"She's with Lord Tygra and Lady Pumyra. She and the baby are going to be fine. You need to calm down or you're going to tear your stitches out!" Nurse Ling commanded.

"To hell with my stitches! I want to see my wife!" The lion was not nearly as strong as he should be and the medical staff was grateful for it, otherwise he'd have thrown them off and probably harmed them. One aide shoved a sedative into the King's thigh and they watched as it slowly took hold.

"I'll… get… you…" he didn't finish the thought as he passed out.

"Keep an eye on him," Nurse Ling said to the burliest lynx aide they had before turning to the other five that remained.

"Lady Leanna needs attention so I need two of you with me," she ordered. Two of the staff quickly followed her into the room where Doctor Pungali was assessing his patient.

"Ah there they are. Well I'm glad that you were able to get the King settled down. Is Lord Panthro still sedated?" He asked.

"You sedated Pan?" Leanna gave him a look.

"We had no choice dear lady. He would have ruined all the delicate work that I had done to save him," Pungali explained.

"Oh he is going to be so angry when he wakes up. I hope you're not in the vicinity Doc," the lioness chuckled and immediately regretted it as pain shot through her body.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that when this is all over, all he's going to care about is that you have been saved from Mumm-Ra," the doctor smiled before turning to Nurse Ling and requesting new bandages.

"Luckily, you haven't ripped any of your stitches. Regrettably, you are probably going to be sore for a while though. Too much activity so soon after surgery. I'm going to run a body scan and make sure you aren't internally bleeding," Pungali explained.

"I appreciate it Doctor. How is Panthro really? I mean I couldn't stop myself from hurting him. Lion-O must hate me," Lea worried.

"Goodness no. They both love you and I suspect that's part of the reason that Panthro was so upset. Mumm-Rana had to ask Lion-O's permission to help you, or if she could not, harm you, and he was less than thrilled," Pungali explained.

"Well despite the fact that I am outraged that that kind of decision was to be made, I guess I didn't have much say considering my condition. Neither Lion-O nor Panthro have any say in what I do or don't do," she frowned.

"I think Mumm-Rana was only trying to contact next of kin as it were. Besides being the Lord of the ThunderCats and your King, he is also your brother. In the end, when a medical decision is to be made, it would be him, who would have to make it, should you be unavailable to assist," he said.

"Good point. Still I don't think Panthro will see it that way," Lea admitted.

"Well then he should put a ring on that pretty finger of yours. That would be the only way he would override Lion-O when you aren't available," the doctor winked.

"We're not there yet Doc, trust me. If anything, we're just having fun," she said.

"Oh I don't think he feels that way, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to rip poor Ben-Gali's arms off," Pungali chuckled as he remembered the scene at the time. It certainly wasn't funny then but it certainly was now.

"Oh poor Ben," Lea shook her head.

"Well your scan is complete and you are looking good. Bed rest for at least a week and then we'll reevaluate," he smiled.

"Thanks. I appreciate all you've done," she smiled back.

"Not a problem," Pungali was about to leave the room when alarms went off and the sound of Cheetara screaming filled the air.

"Sweet Jaga's toothbrush," the doctor murmured before he ran out of the room and down the hall.


	18. Chapter 18

"The medicine isn't working. I have to go in," Tygra said, looking at Cheetara's recent body scan. The baby was moving and ready to go but the cheetah's body wasn't prepping itself for some reason. It was odd considering that her water broke, indicating that her body was getting ready, but then again her age and her stress levels more than likely had something to do with it.

"Prep for surgery!" Pumyra ordered to the staff around her and they quickly went about getting everything ready. She turned to Tygra and asked,

"Enlarging the opening or C-section?"

"The baby is forcing our hand. I think enlarging the opening is the only thing we can do. A C-section at this point might require me to remove the entire uterus. That is very major surgery and I really don't want to put her through any more than necessary," the tiger explained.

"Understandable and I'd have to agree. I'll have all the necessary tools nearby in case things go sideways," the puma nodded.

"Good call," he nodded back and they quickly got ready for surgery. Ben-Gali watched from outside the suite and saw that things were not looking good for a natural birth as Cats fluttered around the room, getting everything together. He prayed to Jaga that everything would work out and then headed down the hall to check on some of the other patients.

"Hey how's it going?" He asked as he entered Li-en's room. Cavan was sitting in the chair next to his bed, her arm in a cast and a sling, bandages, dotted her exposed skin, covering the gashes from the fight out at the crash site.

"Well his leg was shattered below the knee. Doctor Pungali was able to fuse it back together but the pain is pretty unbearable. He sleeps a lot because of the pain medicine. I haven't had the heart to bring the twins down to see him. What is going on out there? I thought I heard the Queen screaming. I know I heard the King shouting too but my guess is that the doctors gave him something to quiet him," Cavan wanted to know as she stood from her seat.

"She went into early labor. They're working to save the baby and Cheetara right now. As for your hunch about Lion-O, yes they sedated him," Ben explained.

"Then we must go and keep watch. The King wouldn't want her to be alone," the puma said. She worked her way around the bed and then out of the door. Ben-Gali followed her and they reached the window that looked into the surgery suite.

"Oh there's nothing like a good surgery down there to get you going in the morning," Cavan bit her lip as she realized what they were going to do.

"Oh?" Ben-Gali asked, confused. Her twins, Liam and Fiona, had been small on account of coming early.

"Yes well they both tried to escape at the same time. It seems that when I go into labor, the kids want out as soon as possible, rather than waiting their turn," Cavan explained.

"Ah I see. Well then the Queen will have someone to talk to about that kind of thing," he tried to make it sound better than he imagined it felt. He couldn't imagine giving birth, never mind having someone cutting things open down near his family jewels.

"We'll all have a good chuckle after this is over, I'm sure," the puma nodded. That's when they heard the cries of a newborn cub.

"Oh it's a girl!" Cavan smiled.

"That's great!" Ben-Gali smiled too. Right up until they heard the heart monitor flat line. "We're losing her!" Tygra shouted as he realized how much blood was coming out of the cheetah.


	19. Chapter 19

"Start chest compressions! We need blood type A Positive!" Tygra barked as he tried to discover just where she was bleeding from. He found the gusher. It seems that the little girl was never going to come into the world quietly. The inability to contract the uterus had caused a tear to develop as the placenta struggled to disconnect from the cheetah.

"We need to open her up! I can't stabilize her and the only way to stop the bleeding is to remove the organ!" Tygra explained as the staff continued to work on reviving the Queen. He clamped what he could to prevent the bleeding from getting worse.

"We've got a heartbeat. It's slow but it's there," Pumyra said.

"Good. I need you to be down here and when I say, I want you to remove the clamps," Tygra jumped up and the puma quickly took his place. The very competent Doctor Pungali stood next to the orange tiger and they worked to cut open the cheetah and begin the process of removing the organ.

"She's going to hate me when she wakes up," Tygra said, trying to lighten the mood. He knew that basically Lion-O's legacy would stop at two children and while any family would be happy with that number, most of the royal families had more than that. Lion-O was technically an only child, simply because his mother passed during childbirth and Claudus could not seek out Lea's mother. It would have been forbidden and the lioness's mother along with Lea would have been exiled.

"I think she'll forgive you when she sees what a cutie was saved today," Pungali smiled.

"I would think so," Pumyra spoke up. The room then fell into silence as they focused on their work, doing everything they could to save Cheetara.

"Sweet Jaga," Cavan murmured as she watched the doctors' work on the cheetah. They'd heard the whole conversation through the small intercom speaker and couldn't believe it.

"Everything is going to be ok. She's in the best of hands," Ben-Gali tried to reassure the puma. He knew in the long run that Lion-O wouldn't care about more babies. All he would care about would be whether everyone was healthy. Still he knew that tradition was floating through his brother tiger's mind. Still there was nothing to say that Leo and his little baby sister would not go on to have broods of their own.

"I had better tell the aide guarding the King that the surgery will take a while and that he better be prepared," the white tiger suddenly realized.

"He'll want to see a friendly face as well. Tell him and hopefully you can talk some sense into him," Cavan nodded. He nodded back before signaling for an aide to get the puma a chair.

Down the hall, Ben-Gali saw Lea trying to get out of bed and he quickly rushed into the room and stopped her from doing so.

"I thought the doctor ordered bed rest?" He asked as he tucked her back in.

"Tara is in trouble," the lioness said.

"Yes and she's got the best medical team on the planet working on her. She'll be fine," he reassured her. She gave him a look and he continued,

"The baby is safe. It was a little girl."

"That's great. How bad is she?" Lea pressed.

"She started bleeding pretty badly. Tygra is trying to do the best he can but he has to remove her uterus," Ben-Gali admitted.

"Great Jaga's ghost," the lioness put a hand over her mouth.

"I'm going to warn the aide keeping an eye on your brother," he said.

"Then take the breaks off of this thing and wheel me down to him. I need to be there for him when he wakes up," Lea told him.

"I…" he started.

"Now! Or I'll have to explain to Pumyra that my room needed a new throw rug and your hide was the best thing available," the lioness growled.

"Yes ma'am," Ben-Gali nodded. He was not about to get in her way. In a lot of ways, he could see why Lion-O and she were related.


	20. Chapter 20

Hours later, Cheetara awoke in a lot of pain. She moaned and was immediately attended to by the nurses. However, one Cat was definitely not a nurse, she could tell by the feeling of the hand holding hers.

"Hey there you gave us all a good scare," Lion-O smiled slightly as she opened her eyes, turned her head, and looked at him. The nurses had wheeled his hospital bed into the room and put it next to the cheetah's.

"Who did you kill to get in the recovery room?" She asked before moaning again. Her lower abdomen felt like it had been cut with a chainsaw.

"Lea stopped me from killing Ben-Gali. Not to worry," he smirked slightly as he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.

"What about the baby?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"She is gorgeous. Looks just like her mom," the lion beamed.

"All right that's enough. Lord Tygra is liable to have my head for letting things go this far. We need to do some more checks before I can put her in a real room," Nurse Ling scolded.

"Tell him the King said it was all right. I know him," Lion-O gave a slight chuckle before giving Cheetara's hand a squeeze. He was then wheeled out of the room and the nurses got back to their tests.

What seemed like an eternity later, the cheetah was wheeled down the hall to her own personal hospital room. She was grateful for all the medical staff being able to help her but she was thoroughly exhausted.

"There she is," Pumyra smiled as she held a small bundle in her arms.

"Is that…?" Cheetara paused.

"This is your precious bundle of joy. I know you're tired but I figured that you'd want to see her before she went down for some sleep of her own," the puma continued to smile as she sat down in a chair next to the hospital bed.

"Oh she's adorable," the cheetah wanted so badly to hold her. They both knew that the cheetah was too weak to hold her own cub for the moment and it was better that Pumyra held on.

"She most certainly is. Now you get some rest and we'll talk baby names later," the puma said.

"What happened to me?" Cheetara asked as Pumyra went to stand.

"We'll talk about that later too. For now, just rest," the puma promised. The cheetah quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as her friend left with the cub.

Tygra quickly sat down at the conference room table and cleared his throat as the remainder of the ThunderCats who were not under medical care stopped talking. He had a laundry list of items to discuss.

"Ok, let's get this meeting going. It's been a long day," he started.

"Agreed," Ben-Gali nodded.

"First, I will be assuming the duties of King and Lord of the ThunderCats while Lion-O is recovering. All of my medical duties will be shifted to Pumyra during this time. Second, Lion-O and Cheetara's cub was born prematurely but she shows no signs of ill health. Both parents are recovering from their respective traumas at this time along with Panthro, Lea, Li-en, Cavan, and a host of others. I expect all patients to make full recoveries although some will take longer than others.

"The next big thing on the agenda is to confirm the disappearance of both Mumm-Ra and Mumm-Rana. Lea's behavior has returned to normal, so I would say that we're probably safe in that department," the tiger explained.

"We thought that before and then those poor souls on that ship brought him back," Ben-Gali said.

"This is true brother but while we were dealing with Lea, the team in the hangar looked at the photos that Panthro sent back. The ship is not Thunderian. Most likely it is some humanoid form of life. They would have called to their Gods for guidance and probably got Mumm-Ra instead. I'm sending a team back out to investigate Mumm-Rana's pyramid and the site," Tygra told them.

"How can we be sure the site is safe?" Lynx-O asked.

"We can't be but the longer the materials sit out there the better than chance of us losing evidence of what was going on. If Mumm-Rana is truly gone, then we only have the Sword of Omens to warn us of evil. I cannot travel out there and take a chance with the Sword so we confirmed by satellite that Mumm-Rana's pyramid still exists and should continue to be a safe haven from evil. Mandora is en-route and that should help too," the tiger explained.

"All right. Then I guess we had best be prepared for evidence coming back to the Lair," Pumyra nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

The morning came quickly and Cheetara moaned at the sunshine streaming in her bedside window. Nurse Ling came into the room along with Lion-O who was being pushed in a wheelchair by one of the larger nursing aides.

"Good morning sunshine," Lion-O smiled slightly.

"Is it? I'm exhausted still," she admitted as the aide left. Nurse Ling went about checking the machines and her patient.

"That's understandable. Yesterday was a pretty big day," the lion nodded.

"My King, I will be back in five minutes with the aide and then it's back to bed with you. We'll see about getting you transferred into the Queen's room as soon as possible," Ling smiled and was gone.

"What happened to me? Why is everyone dancing around me?" Cheetara got right to business once they were alone. Lion-O picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"The baby was early and your body wasn't ready. Tygra said he had no choice but to perform a hysterectomy. I'm so very sorry," he explained, kissing the back of her hand afterward.

"I…" she started but there really weren't any words as tears formed and they began sliding down her cheeks. She pulled her hand away to cover her face.

"Hey everything is going to be all right. We've been through some tough scrapes and this is no different. We'll handle it like everything else, together. I love you," Lion-O told her. He looked around to make sure the nurses weren't looking and he very wobblingly stood from his chair. He then scooted into the bed and carefully pulled her into his arms. Kissing her forehead, he spoke softly and comfortingly to her.

"I'm… so… sorry…" she choked out between sobs.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for? I have two wonderful, healthy cubs and a wife who adores me. I don't need anything else," he said, kissing her forehead again. She looked at him, slightly confused. They hadn't made a big deal about it in public but it had always been Lion-O's dream to have a litter of cubs and Cheetara had shared that dream, though she'd been afraid her age would prevent it. Now it seemed that her age had prevented it and it hurt her to know that it must be hurting her husband.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't go there. We have a wonderful family. I'm happy and so should you be. Now we can name our daughter after your mother, just like we always wanted. Leo will have someone to play with. It's going to be great. Besides could you imagine Snarf having to corral all those kids at his age?" Lion-O chuckled as he knew that Snarf would want to be involved in every baby that was ever born at the Lair. This made the cheetah laugh. That would be quite a sight.

"I just want to give you everything you wanted and now I can't. I just…" Lion-O silenced her as he kissed her on the lips.

"I have everything I could ever want. The most important thing is that still I have you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't pulled through," he finally admitted his worst fear.

"I love you," she said and they kissed again. Their five minutes was up and Nurse Ling walked in on them. She quickly blushed, swiveled on her heel, and walked out of the room. They would get Lion-O's bed in the room now.

Meanwhile, Ben-Gali was sifting through the debris brought in from the crash site down in the hangar and Snarfer was helping him. Pumyra walked in through the main doors of the hangar, looking for her beloved tiger. She had to speak with him about something she'd just discovered.

"So I hear everything has been going to heck in a handbasket since my last trip here. I really cannot leave you guys alone for more than five minutes," Mandora chuckled as she climbed off of her motorcycle. She'd just landed and it had been a long trip.

"Nope you can't," Ben-Gali smirked. He turned and saw Pumyra coming toward him. She had an odd look on her face and he could tell something was up. They may have only been married for two years but they had known each other for much longer.

"Pumyra, good to see you," Mandora nodded.

"You as well. I hate to cut and run but I was just checking to see if one of the nurses had come down here. I heard the shipment of debris came in and I wasn't sure if there were any body parts about," the puma said. It was a lie. She knew there wouldn't be any body parts. Ben-Gali looked at her strangely as she turned and left. They would talk later.


	22. Chapter 22

"So what have we got?" Panthro asked as he was talking to Ben-Gali via video screen chat from his hospital bed.

"So far no evidence of Mumm-Ra or any of his minions. What remains of the ship leads me to believe that there were humanoid type people using it. The ancient language that was on that canister you guys found was imprinted into the ship in other places. My guess is that they were the ancestors of the peoples once found on First Earth and that calling to Mumm-Ra was an accident," the white tiger said.

"They were calling for someone else and got that miserable mummy. Fantastic," the panther shook his head.

"The ship had some damage to its navigation system and I'm trying to determine if it was caused by the crash or Mumm-Ra but we're shorthanded down here and it's going to take a few days to really understand it. Mandora is checking her records to confirm some things and she's hoping to get us schematics," Ben-Gali explained.

"Well do what you have to do. No word on Mumm-Rana huh?" Panthro wondered.

"Her pyramid is still there but her sarcophagus is gone and the Ancient Spirits of Goodness just stand in silence. My guess is that when she said she'd be gone forever, she meant it," his friend said.

"Well hopefully she took that miserable Mumm-Ra with her. We have enough problems," Panthro shook his head.

"Agreed," Ben-Gali nodded before looking around as if he was afraid that someone was listening in on their conversation.

"What's up?" The panther asked.

"Pumyra has been acting weird. Has she said anything to you?" The white tiger asked.

"I'll see what I can ferret out of the nurses. I haven't seen her since Tygra put her in charge of all the medical operations," Panthro told him.

"Much obliged. I'll call you with an update later," with that the phone call ended and the panther killed the power to the wall mounted video screen. He was deep in thought when Lea entered the room being pushed in her wheelchair by an aide.

"Hey there she is. How are you beautiful?" He asked, glad to see her. The aide rolled her right up next to him and then left them alone.

"I'm better. You?" She wanted to know.

"Better now that you're here," Panthro smiled.

"That's sweet but I wanted to talk," Lea said.

"What about?" He asked.

"They told me you got pretty upset that Lion-O was making decisions about me while Mumm-Ra was busy inhabiting my body," she told him.

"I was upset. I wanted to know what was going on. I wanted to protect you. I know that you can handle yourself. I've always known that despite the fragility that you hide you could kick anyone's ass on this planet, mine included, but I couldn't stand it that I wasn't allowed to be a part of the decision process," Panthro admitted.

"Lion-O is my King, my Lord, and my brother. I don't see how exactly you could overrule him. Personally, I didn't want anyone making decisions for me but I really wasn't in my right mind either," the lioness said.

"I want to be able to overrule him. I want to be with you, every waking moment. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Lea, I love you," the words were out in the open now. The panther was usually cagier about his feelings as he had been taught by his sensei that emotions were something to be controlled or they would control him. However, the realization that he could not live another day without the lioness made him realize that he could no longer put off telling her the truth.

"You what?" She gave him a look like she couldn't understand. Panthro knew that this would be hard for her given her experiences and how long it took to rebuild her trust in anyone but he had to say it again.

"I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life," he said. The tough lioness looked as though she was about to cry and Panthro reached out, taking her cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb across her smooth skin.

"I love you too," it came out as almost a whisper.

"I love you too," this time it came out much louder when she said it and she turned into his hand and gave it a kiss. A knock on the door interrupted them.

"Thought I would swing by with the new Princess. Cheetara has been begging me to hold her but I figured that family should get a chance to see her quick," Pumyra was at the door and smiling.

"She's beautiful," Lea smiled as the puma handed the little cub to her.

"What's her name?" Panthro asked.

"Sahara. They named her after Cheetara's mother," Pumyra smiled and Panthro made a mental note to call Ben-Gali. He could see by the way the puma looked at the little one what was running through her mind.


	23. Chapter 23

"I figured I'd find you two getting all snuggly," Mandora chuckled as she entered the King and Queen's hospital room. The two were playing with their brand new cub, who was very happy in her mother's arms. Cheetara was feeling better though she knew the pain wasn't going to subside anytime soon. However, Pumyra decided that a little distraction would be good. They had to pump some of the cheetah's milk to see about extracting the pain medication from it. Either that or they would see about synthetically making a breast milk substitute for the baby.

Her older brother, Leo, had just left for his afternoon nap. The little boy was all excited about his new sister and was none the wiser as to how she came into this world. He had missed his parents too and it had been good to hold both children and reassure them as well as themselves.

"Mandora, it is good to see you," Lion-O turned away from his family for a moment. Cheetara offered a smile but then turned back to her precious daughter.

"And it is good to see you with a brand new addition to the family too. She is a cutie," the Evil Chaser said.

"She's daddy's little girl," Cheetara smiled.

"Already? Wow. They have you right where they want you huh?" Mandora said to Lion-O. This made the group laugh.

"She's as gorgeous as her mother and I intend to make sure the boys stay away," he told them.

"Good luck with that," the Evil Chaser smirked.

"Yes well we'll hit that bridge when we get there. Now what brings you up to see us? I know Nurse Ling and Pumyra have been doing their best to shoo people away," Cheetara said.

"I was able to discover the flight plans of the ships in proximity to your planet. All of them are accounted for. They might not have been heading your way intentionally but given the debris field, I had our techs estimate the size of the ship and compare it to other ships that may have diverted from their original course. Nothing pops. Basically we're looking at an undocumented ship with undocumented peoples," the Evil Chaser explained.

"How is that possible?" Cheetara asked.

"You'd be surprised at this day and age. Usually things aren't so complicated. However, if these people were descendants of First Earth as Ben-Gali suggested then they may have never come in contact with the Evil Chasers and therefore would not have registered their ship or their people with the Space Council of Planets. We can only assist those that are listed. They could have very well been living on another nearby planet and when something catastrophic happened, someone might have suggested the old home land. Their language is as old as Mumm-Ra which is odd because after some digging in the Space Council of Planets archive, the techs figured out that the Ancient Egyptians, who spoke and wrote the language, stopped using them around the year four hundred AD or what used to be called "Anno Domini", meaning "in the year of our Lord". This dealt with the new religion being formed. The Ancient Egyptian Gods along with the way their people lived disappeared as the Great Roman Empire stretched its mighty reach. I'll send you a copy of the file. It's some fascinating reading. The point is though that despite all of this there were obviously people who used it still. It may have faded into obscurity as First Earth grew older and the peoples shifted to the languages that some planets still speak today. My guess is that the old way was mixed with the new in keeping tradition alive," Mandora tried to sum it all up.

"So you think they created their own great society and in the possible collapse of it, they tried to escape and head back to a place that the ancestors of First Earth inhabited?" Cheetara asked.

"I'm thinking so. My guess is that instead of heading to Third Earth as they hoped, Mumm-Ra diverted them to New Thundera," Mandora shrugged.

"Then Mumm-Rana's quest makes sense," Lion-O finally spoke up.

"You'll have to explain that one," the Evil Chaser said.

"She said that after she had gotten rid of Mumm-Ra then she would disappear forever. At first, I didn't quite understand as Mumm-Ra has always said that wherever there was Evil, he would exist. Maybe it has to do more with the peoples who worshiped the same Gods he did. He unknowingly killed the last of the followers. With no followers to pull their strength from, Mumm-Rana used the last bit to summon her powers and defeat the Evil that was Mumm-Ra," Lion-O told them.

"It is quite possible that that miserable mummy didn't realize what he had done. He was just desperate to get back and try to destroy you and your team," Mandora conceded.

"Then we need to allow those poor people he tricked to have a decent burial. I suggest we create a monument to them at the crash site, next to Mumm-Rana's pyramid. All parts of their ship should be incinerated and buried there," Cheetara suggested.

"A wonderful idea, my dear. That will be the first piece of business I attend to as soon as I'm medically discharged. It will give us time to learn a burial custom of their time," Lion-O nodded.

"I'll get you all the literature we have," Mandora promised.


	24. Chapter 24

It would be three weeks before the ThunderCats started to be discharged from the Med Bay. Most were then still on modified assignment. Cheetara and Li-en were the only two left in the medical portion of the Lair mostly due to the major surgeries they had encountered and the continual monitoring of the milk being fed to little Sahara.

Lion-O was true to his word and crews began working on a monument to the poor souls lost because of Mumm-Ra's evil. Ben-Gali's investigation into the ship had proven that what little remained and some similar ship plans that Mandora had dug up would not be enough to determine conclusively what went wrong. It was an unsatisfying end to a group of people that most believed deserved more.

Mumm-Rana had not returned and her pyramid remained dark. Lion-O ordered that it should be made part of the monument to the fallen victims. They had lost a great ally and friend to Mumm-Ra but it was because of her that they would never lose another friend to that miserable mummy.

Now as the sun came up and things were beginning to look a little brighter Pumyra walked into Cheetara's room with a bottle of scientifically strained breast milk. Sahara was right behind her in the arms of Nurse Ling. The process in which the milk was cleansed was a little beyond the cheetah's scientific understanding but she was just glad that she wasn't feeding the baby synthetic formula. Nurse Ling handed the Queen her baby girl and then scooted out of the room, leaving the two ThunderCats the only adults in the room.

"So how long have you been trying to hide it?" Cheetara asked.

"Hide what?" Pumyra gave her a confused look.

"Don't try that with me woman. Why haven't you told Ben-Gali yet?" The cheetah cocked an eyebrow. At this Pumyra collapsed into the nearby chair.

"What if what happened last time happens again? I can't do that to him," she admitted.

"You're going to catch Avian Plague again? What is the likelihood in that?" Cheetara asked.

"This is my last chance to give him a cub. I can't break his heart again. I just can't," Pumyra shook her head.

"You can't break yours either," the cheetah gave a tight smile and to that Pumyra just nodded, her hand absentmindedly finding her abdomen.

"Ben loves you, no matter what happens. You know how upset he would be if you don't tell him. Besides in a few more weeks you won't be able to hide it," Cheetara pointed out.

"You're right," the puma said.

"Any morning sickness yet?" Her friend asked.

"No, which has me nervous. The last time I was sicker than a dog," Pumyra frowned.

"Well each pregnancy is different. Maybe this one is waiting for the right moment," Cheetara gave a slight chuckle.

"Yeah like Cavan and the twins," the puma laughed.

"She was as surprised as the rest of us but I know she and Li-en don't regret a moment," the cheetah smiled. There was a knock on the door and Pumyra went to answer it.

"Ben now is not a good time," Cheetara could hear from the door.

"Drag his furry butt in here," she smirked and the puma brought the tiger into the room.

"Morning Cheetara. How's the little one doing?" He asked.

"Oh she's as happy as a clam and I'm dodging hormone replacement meds. How about you?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"Oh I'm just fine. I'm firing up the incinerator per Lion-O's request and smelting the ship parts down. Thought I'd warn people before I turn that stinky thing on," he smiled.

"Great Jaga's ghost. How long do you think you'll have to run it?" Cheetara gagged.

"Hopefully not more than a half an hour," Ben-Gali made a face too. The incinerator's infrequent use often made the Lair smell of burning rubber.

"I'll make sure the air purifiers are on," Pumyra turned to leave but the cheetah voice stopped her.

"Before you do anything else you take care of what we talked about." To that the puma pulled Ben-Gali out into the hallway.


	25. Epilogue

Not to anyone's surprise Ben had been incredibly happy that he and Pumyra were going to have a cub. He didn't even try to temper his enthusiasm while the puma remained slightly pessimistic. Tygra tried to reassure Pumyra that she would be in good hands as Lion-O should regain the ability to go on full active duty in two weeks and everyone's jobs shifted back to normal. She felt reassured that Tygra would be back on full medical duty soon and was glad that two weeks didn't seem so long to wait for her friend to help. In the meantime, Doctor Pungali would help her with the usual tests and checkups.

Tygra had been right, as usual, in regards to Lion-O. Two weeks later, Pumyra cleared him for duty and the lion immediately got a date set for the funeral for those on the doomed ship. The research he had done while he was laid up was certainly interesting but regrettably impossible to continue. Bodies were mummified and they didn't have any bodies. Therefore he decided that the ashes of the ship would be placed in jars that Panthro had crafted with the help of Ben-Gali and Snarfer. Originally the Ancient Egyptians didn't have access to metal like the ThunderCats did and would have used clay to make the Canopic jars. Instead, Panthro improvised and used some of the metal from the shell of the doomed ship to create the jars. They were laser etched with the Ancient Egyptians hieroglyphics so that they would last forever. The lion only hoped that their efforts would be looked favorably by the Gods that these people had worshipped.

The ceremony had been a somber one as the monument, an obelisk, which had the Canopic jars entombed in it, was placed. Lion-O said some words that all the Thunderians would understand and then he attempted Ancient Egyptian which he had been practicing. Although no one, including Lion-O, understood what happened next, the Sword of Omens roared and flashed the symbol of the ThunderCats across the sky. Then as if by magic, Whiz-Ra, appeared from the sky. He landed in front of Lion-O and bowed his head. Everyone was stunned but they realized that he was literally the last of his kind. He turned to the monument and Mumm-Rana's pyramid, uttering words that no one understood. Mumm-Rana's pyramid began to glow and the Ancient Spirits of Goodness walked from their home. The ThunderCats watched, completely stunned, as the Spirits chanted in their ancient tongue. In a flash, the pyramid, Whiz-Ra, and the Ancient Spirits were gone. In their place, a burned patch of ground, with ancient hieroglyphics permanently etched into the soil.

"May the Gods protect you and guide you home," Lion-O whispered to himself before giving the farewell salute. Everyone around them saluted as well. Then they began to disperse.

"That was very well done," Cheetara smiled at him as he wheeled her in her wheelchair to the ThunderTank. She had been discharged from the Med Bay but it was taking a while to rebuild her strength and Tygra and Pumyra insisted on the wheelchair.

"I hope it was enough," Lion-O said as he pushed her up the ramp. The cheetah reached behind her and put a hand on his cheek.

"Your father would have been proud to see how you handled everything with dignity and respect. I can only hope their Gods agree," she said, turning her head to him. He turned his face into her hand and kissed it.

"I would like to think that Whiz-Ra's surprise arrival means they did," Lion-O nodded.

"Yes. I think so. We should be sure to toast him at dinner tonight," Cheetara told him.

"Agreed. He was a great help to us as well and now I fear he and the Ancient Spirits will disappear," the lion admitted.

"Then we will do our best to remember them," she said as they settled into their seats. Panthro fired up the ThunderTank with Lea beside him and the vehicle headed back toward the Lair as the sun began to set. Lion-O looked back at the site as the metal obelisk caught the sun's rays and smiled. Many had sacrificed their lives but now the Kingdom would prosper and for that he could not be more grateful.

 **T** **H** **E**   **E** **N** **D**


End file.
